Reconstructionist Calls for Christian Martyrdom

Demonstrating yet again how similar Christian Reconstructionists are to Muslim jihadists, Peter Leithart has an article in First Things entitled A Call to Martyrdom, which is exactly what it sounds like. Didn’t First Things used to be a fairly mainstream Christian intellectual publication? Not if they’re publishing stuff like this.

All this means that Windsor presents American Christians with a call to martyrdom. In Greek, martyria means “witness,” specifically witness in a court. At the very least, the decision challenges American Christians to continue to teach Christian sexual ethics without compromise or apology. But Windsor presents a call to martyrdom in a more specific sense. There will be a cost for speaking the truth, a cost in reputation, opportunity, and funds if not in freedoms. Scalia’s reference to the pagan Roman claim that Christians are “enemies of mankind” was probably not fortuitous…

This will force a major adjustment in conservative Christian stance toward America. We’ve fooled ourselves for decades into believing that Christian America was derailed recently and by a small elite. It’s tough medicine to realize that principles inimical to traditional Christian morals are now deeply embedded in our laws, institutions and culture. The only America that actually exists is one in which “marriage” includes same-sex couples and women have a Constitutional right to kill their babies. To be faithful, Christian witness must be witness against America.

God has his winnowing fork in his hand, and he’s ready to use it. There’s likely to be a lot of chaff, blown away like mist. But there will be a harvest. We’re being sent into an oven, but Jesus will crush the grain of the harvest so that, baked in the fire of the Spirit, it will become bread for the life of the world.

I’ve got news for you, Peter. There have been “principles inimical to traditional Christian morals…deeply embedded in our laws” from the very beginning. The very idea of a secular government with religious freedom, which was established by our constitution, is inimical to traditional Christian morals. The very fact that non-Christians have the right to worship as they see fit, or not to worship at all, is inimical to traditional Christian morals. Your fellow Reconstructionist Gary North recognized that long ago.

Well, Thomas Jefferson also thought the martyrdom of clueless idiots was a good idea from time to time, to water the Tree of Liberty. So you’re in good company, Pete. Course, he had something a little more committed in mind.

Randomfactor

And if God’s recipe for bread follows Ezekiel’s, Pete has certainly piled up the prescribed fuel there.

Chiroptera

God has his winnowing fork in his hand, and he’s ready to use it.

What makes me a bit nervous are those Christianists who see themselves as that winnowing fork.

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We’re being sent into an oven, but Jesus will crush the grain of the harvest so that, baked in the fire of the Spirit, it will become bread for the life of the world.

“And then crammed down our throats!”

John Pieret

How long until they adopt the jihadists’ taste in belts?

raven

You first Peter Leithart.

I’m sure though that Peter Leithart doesn’t want to be a martyr. He wants someone else to be a martyr!!!

Xians love their martyrs as long as it is…someone else.

BTW, I hope the FBI and Department of Homeland Security are reading the xian trash called First Things. Peter Leithart just called for xian terrorists to stop watching TV and do some terrorism.

Reginald Selkirk

Didn’t First Things used to be a fairly mainstream Christian intellectual publication?

You make funny.

raven

Scalia’s reference to the pagan Roman claim that Christians are “enemies of mankind” was probably not fortuitous…

The Roman Pagans had a point.

The xians persecuted the Roman Pagans for centuries any way they could. When there weren’t very many left, they simply slaughtered the remaining ones.

Calling xians “enemies of mankind” is a bit too broad a generalization (I’m being polite here). But some, like Peter Leithart and First Things are exactly that.

In the event any xians like Peter Leithart can stop watching TV, making vague threats over the internet, and actually go out and be terrorists, we have a place for them. It’s called the court system and then the prisons. The laws and police are on our side, not theirs, for the good of our society.

Chiroptera

I wish these Christians would quit making unreasonable demands. Do they have any idea what lions cost these days?

A Hermit

We’ve fooled ourselves for decades into believing that Christian America was derailed recently and by a small elite.

As if we needed more evidence that these people are delusional…

raven

We’ve fooled ourselves for decades into believing that Christian America was derailed recently and by a small elite.

Xian America never existed.

At least in in the sense Peter Leithart means.

Leithart clearly means oogedy boogedy fundie death cult xianity. And that has never been more than 25 or so percent of the population. Mainline Protestants and Catholics are likely to look at Peter like he is something with too many legs and too much slime that just crawled out from under a rock.

What is derailing US xianity is xians like Peter Leithart. Who wants to live under a rock and make occasional forays out to scare normal people? According to the latest Gallup GSS, xians are down to 68% of the population and on trend to go below 50% by 2030.

http://www.facebook.com/den.wilson d.c.wilson

On the plus side, at it’s finally dawning in them that our laws aren’t based on the Bible.

oranje

Oh, that poor, poor metaphor. He’s just kicked the crap out of it.

Also, they aren’t babies. Not yet. Not a pack of cells. Not something you want to declare has a soul even though you can’t define what one is, where it comes from, or when. You’re committing genocide against nouns, too? Bad Peter.

Eurasian magpie

God has his winnowing fork in his hand, and he’s ready to use it. There’s likely to be a lot of chaff, blown away like mist. But there will be a harvest. We’re being sent into an oven, but Jesus will crush the grain of the harvest so that, baked in the fire of the Spirit, it will become bread for the life of the world.

Overuse of metaphor should be a finable offence.

timberwoof

If they want to martyr themselves, that’s fine as long as it’s not messy. When they want to martyr me or others it becomes a terrorist threat.

Leithart wants to use old definitions of words; that’s fine too: he can swear on his testicles that what he says is the truth, and get them cut off when he’s caught in a lie. The only downside to this is that his voice has already changed.

Moggie

God has his winnowing fork in his hand, and he’s ready to use it. There’s likely to be a lot of chaff, blown away like mist. But there will be a harvest. We’re being sent into an oven, but Jesus will crush the grain of the harvest so that, baked in the fire of the Spirit, it will become bread for the life of the world.

I think you’re toast, Peter.

Loqi

I went ahead and updated the Official List of Christian Fundamentalists’ Bizarre Obsessions on the Small Elite organizational wiki to reflect the contents of that quote:

On the other hand maybe Peter has a point…look at how popular terrorists seem to make themselves. Christian terrorists would be just another nail in their cross, if you know what I mean.

abusedbypenguins

This could be the start of a business. Supply the vest, battery, wire, wiring diagrams, switches, etc. Everything but detonators and explosives. A 10% discount on orders of 15 or more.

Gvlgeologist, FCD

It sounds like they want to mainstream the kind of thinking at Westboro Baptist Church.

whheydt

I know about winowing FANS, but wtf is a “winnowing FORK”? Does this guy have any idea at all how winnowing was actually done with pre-industrial techniques?

jnorris

To be faithful, Christian witness must be witness against America.

Jesus told the apostles to preach the gospel. He didn’t tell them to force anyone to follow, believe, or worship it. Christians today take too much on themselves believing they have to force, under threat of prison, everyone else to obey “Christian Sharia”.

grumpyoldfart

His call to martyrdom is about 1,500 years too late. The Circumcellions beat him to it.

grumpyoldfart

Do you think Peter Leithart gets a little bit stiff as he contemplates the day when he can watch Christians dying cruel deaths along the road to martyrdom and he is able to tell himself, “I caused that.”

timberwoof

I think he meant a Windowing fork, a way to make a Windows program spawn another process. They don’t want anything to do with OS X and its demons and that rainbow apple.

Trebuchet

I think you’re toast, Peter.

Can you even make toast if it’s only half-baked to begin with?

Ichthyic

Leithart:

If that means we are insulted and marginalized, if it means we yield our back to the smiters and our face to those who spit on us, so be it.

so be it. Oh, I could only wish he wasn’t delusional.

however, the history suggests otherwise, instead of accepting marginalization, they will instead whinge and try to change the rules of the game to avoid it, like they always have, and always will.

But the call is couched in lizard tongue (excuses to all Lacertilia …you know who you are ;-)) what matey is getting damp crotch over is more attacks on abortion clinics and staff, as well as teh ghey wherever they be!…actually….

Rousas John Rushdoony advocated for American laws to literally follow those in the Book of Leviticus, including death by stoning for gay and lesbian people and similar execution for adulterers, juvenile delinquents, non-believers, and most other Americans.

So there you have it, the hit list!

If you cannot rule by argument, then do it by terror, tis the fundy xtian way!

francesc

“and women have a Constitutional right to kill their babies”

And they can vote!! And rapists don’t marry their victims anymore! Oh America, were are you heading to?

@25 “…a way to make a Windows program spawn another process”

Why would anyone want that? They are crazy those xtians

dingojack

Snoof – see ‘Masha’Allah”

Dingo

Thumper; Atheist mate

God has his winnowing fork in his hand, and he’s ready to use it. There’s likely to be a lot of chaff, blown away like mist. But there will be a harvest. We’re being sent into an oven, but Jesus will crush the grain of the harvest so that, baked in the fire of the Spirit, it will become bread for the life of the world.

I fucking love Christian metaphors They crack me up every time. It’s literally just nonsense, but include a few buzzwords like “Bread”, “Lamb”, “Spirit” or “Fire”, say it in an overly passionate shouty voice and the suckers lap it right up. It’s ridiculous.

sailor1031 – The apples can be upset all they want, but he’s skating on thin ice for the Lord, and won’t stop until the cart – even if before the horse – rises to the occasion! My eyes are on you, Jesus, even as I prostrate myself before your glory!